One Man
by 10000 SGA Fans can't be wrong
Summary: Summary: After finding an ancient book in the Jedi Archives, a young Padawan starts a journey that will forever change the course of the Republic and the Clone Wars. Will be mainly OC based. 4000 years after KotOR. AU
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; movies or games. I do own my OCs, though.

Summary: After finding an ancient book in the Jedi Archives, a young Padawan starts a journey that will forever change the course of the Republic and the Clone Wars. Will be mainly OC based, but the canon characters will make very frequent appearances. . I'm not sure if there will _be_ a Chosen One. Brings KotOR into the story. No Slash.

4,000 Years Ago: Unnamed Galaxy outside Outer Rim

Revan stood over the body of the dying warrior, light blue and cyan-colored lightsabers held in both hands. The warrior was dressed in red, purple, and black armor, complete with a charred, smoking hole through the center of the chest plate. The mouth under the half-facemask opened.

"Go- go ahead, _Jedi_." The last word was spat out as a curse. "Even if you kill me, you'll never find the others. You may have destroyed our world, our way of life, but you'll never find the remnants. We will survive."

Revan knelt down next to the man. "Oh, I'm not going to kill you yet. And you _will_ tell where the others are. I spent five years chasing them and I'm not going to stop now." He pulled back his cyan saber and laid the blade on the man's bare arm.

The man had been trained to resist pain, but after ten seconds, the man started crying out in pain. Revan took the blade away and stabbed it through the man's groin. This time, the man let out a full-throated scream. Revan left the blade in the wound.

"I'll ask again, scum. Where. Are. The. Others?"

The man looked at Revan through watering eyes. "The place you'll never get to, Jedi." Then the man grabbed a pill taped to the inside of his armor and popped it in his mouth. "Farewell, Jedi."

"No!" The man was starting to convulse. Revan grabbed the guy's throat. _"Where are they?"_

_"Too… Late." _breathed the man. The next second; he was dead.

Revan stood up and extinguished his sabers. _Filth_. After leaving his galaxy following the destruction of the Star Forge, Revan had spent three months trying to find his homeworld. What he found instead was an even greater mystery. Using more clues left by himself before his memory loss, he had uncovered a trail leading to files he had written about why he fell to the Dark Side. According to his journals, Revan had found a reference to people called the "True Sith." What it really was was a note about the Massassi. The Massassi were a race of sadistic, evil beings that tortured, murdered, and conquered their entire lives. They had taken the Force and twisted it, making it their perfect weapon. Every single Massassi could use the Force, and that made them much, much more dangerous.

Revan had then left the Galaxy in a custom-built ship designed to carry him to the Massassi Galaxy. What he found there shocked him to the core. The Massassi had taken over their entire Galaxy and ruled with an iron fist. Any attempts at rebellion were crushed quickly and ruthlessly.

In Revan's first battle with a Massassi, he was quickly defeated. However, he was taken alive and tortured. The Massassi had not encountered a Jedi in ages, but they hated them even more than the Sith did. Revan, by using advanced technology, was killed and brought back to life several times. After the seventh time, he was able to escape and launch his own personal war against the Massassi.

During the first year, Revan used hit-and-run tactics; poisoning water supplies, blowing up shipyards, and causing general havoc. It had worked well for a while until the leaders had figured out who was behind it all and started a galactic manhunt for him.

It was then that Revan made his greatest discovery: The Jedi, the Sith, and the Massassi were all wrong in their perceptions of the Force. The Force was not a god or something to be worshiped, and it was most definitely not a tool to be used. The force was just energy from every single thing in the universe. The Force existed everywhere and forever. Anger, hate, love, fear; they were all just energy flowing in the synapses. If used together and with the energy around the wielder, a Force user could do anything.

At the end of five years, through the efforts of one man, the Massassi Empire had been thrown down. However, a remnant of the Massassi had survived, fleeing to places unknown. Now, Revan was trying to hunt down the last of them. The dark warrior he had just faced was the third in command of the entire Massassi Remnant.

Revan gathered his thoughts, and with a single thought, flew up into the sky faster than a Mach 3 fighter jet. A new addition to Revan's Force arsenal. Flying was a hell of a lot more fun than using a ship. Also, since the Force was even in space, Revan could survive in a vacuum.

Revan knew that the Massassi would return, so he would need to make a trip back to his own galaxy to leave behind a few clue and journals before going back to his home planet. If he was right, than the Jedi would stagnate and become even weaker than they were now, so he would need to plant a journal containing his knowledge of the Force behind; probably in Coruscant. Then, he would need to plant clues and artifacts on Dantooine, Tatooine, and the small world Naboo. Finally he would need to take apart his lightsabers and place the crystals in various caves and temples.

During the hunt for the Star Forge, Revan had managed to buy off two crystals from a dealer on a space station orbiting Yavin 5. They were extraordinarily odd-colored crystals, one being an orange-cyan color and the other a glowing light blue. They were the Heart of the Guardian crystal and the Mantle of the Force crystal. Besides changing color, they amplified the effects of crystals used in conjuction with them. The Mantle of the Force also super powered his force powers, raising them to new heights unknown to Jedi, Sith, or Massassi alike. Naturally, Revan made sure than no one ever found out about these crystals.

Revan took a deep breath, inhaling the vacuum, and then flew faster than any ship measured before to the edge of Galaxies. First to the Republic's Galaxy (Make sure Bastila does not sense me) and then to my home planet.

_Earth._

Little did he know that the Massassi would take far longer than he imagined coming out of hiding and taking back their galaxy.

It's amazing the effect that one man can make.

**Well! This is my first Star Wars Fanfiction ever, but I have enjoyed Star Wars for many years. I think I know more about Knights of the Old Republic than I do the normal Star Wars universe. I have the basic ideas mapped out, but more would be appreciated. I have an idea for pairings, probably Anakin/Padme and OC/OC; maybe Obi/Siri, but it's not set in stone.**

**Vote: Should Earth be a thriving Republic spanning multiple worlds, or an empty wasteland filled with old relics, but no people? Your choice!**


	2. Raiding the Archives

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.

Chapter 2: Raiding the Archives

The lightsabers crackled and sparked upon the saber clash. Jaylar Aranos stepped forward, forcing his opponent backward. Three quick, powerful katas later, the opponent was down with bruises on his legs, chest, and neck.

"Winner: Jaylar." boomed the mechanical voice from the judge's box. Jaylar stepped backward, saluted the Masters and left the arena. The crowd of apprentices, Padawans, Knights, and Masters broke into applause.

Jaylar smiled to himself. This was the fifth duel in a row that he had completely dominated in. This time of year was the favorite for Jedi Padawans and apprentices, where they would face off in tournaments consisting of lightsaber duels, Force power displays, and several other less interesting categories. So far, he was the reigning champion in lightsaber and Force duels.

Jaylar Aranos had been accepted to the Jedi Order at a very young age, as all Jedi were, but his was an unusual case. He had arrived to the temple carried by an old woman, who had been a Jedi herself. She had found him in a small spacecraft that had crash-landed on the planet she was living on, and had sensed the Force potential inside of him. At least, that was what she had told the Masters. She then died shortly after arrived; without even saying her name. Her last words were mumbled, but the Masters thought it had sounded like "He… is… the Raven." Which had meant absolutely nothing to them.

Jaylar was a fast learner, absorbing lessons faster than the teachers could teach them. He showed his first display of Force power at age four, where he had levitated a vid file from the Archives when he could not reach it.

Charismatic, good-looking, and powerful, Jaylar formed a close-knit group of friends around him. However, for some strange reason, he devoted free time to meditation and experimenting with the Force, rather than having fun with those friends.

His closest friends were Kara Jarel and Taxer "Lend me money" Shafin. Kara was a tall, though shorter than Jaylar, dark-hair slim girl from Naboo who loved pranks and romance films. Teachers called her a walking contradiction. Taxer was a blond "annoyance", as the Masters called him, from Alderaan who always lost money from gambling, but was a genius when it came to fights and technology. Together, the three of them pranked the Masters, amazed the teachers, and generally made life interesting around the Jedi Temple.

It had been seven years since the death of a prestigious master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Since then, less Masters had been willing to take on Padawans, and so the Council moved the Age of Rejection, as Kara had named it, to sixteen instead of thirteen. All three members of the group were now fifteen, and so they were getting worried that they would not get accepted.

"Jay! Hey, JAY! Get over here!" Taxer was yelling from across the room. Jay (as I will call him now) grinned and ran down the hallway to where Tax and Kara were standing.

"Sweet fight, man! Kara, you owe me fifty credits." Kara had run up and jumped on Jay, hugging him and sending him to the floor.

"OFF, Kara! Ow! Hey- you bet against me?" Jay gasped in mock surprise.

"No, Jaybird, I bet that you would finish the match in less than fifty seconds. But no, you had to toy with him for a full minute!" Kara's personal nickname for Jay was Jaybird ever since he had found a dying bluejay on Naboo and nursed it back to health.

"What can I say? It was fun." Jay grinned.

Taxer stepped in. "Come on, you two. I got free tickets to Josh's Steakhouse for helping him out last week. Let's go celebrate! I'll buy."

"Yeah, sure. With our financial help, Taxman." Kara said sarcastically. "Have you ever been able to buy something with money that you actually earned?"

"Um… Well… Let me get back to you on that, Kara." Tax turned to Jay. 'Well? What does our champ say?"

"Let me get some stuff from the Archives first, and we need about ten minutes to get dressed, forty minutes for Kara-OW! Ten minutes to sneak out and fifty for a dinner. That sound good?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "FYI, I only need thirty minutes. But that does sound good."

"Not planning to sneak off, I hope?" asked a deep amused voice behind them.

Jay turned around smiling. "Master Windu, we are at your immediate disposal. Would we sneak out like that?" His face was the perfect picture of childlike innocence.

Mace Windu actually laughed. Jay, Tax, and Kara were favorites of his. "How many times have I caught you out after dark?"

"Um, about seventeen and a half times." Jay said seriously. Tax snickered, while Kara played along.

"Seventeen and a half? How do you get a half of a time, Jaybird?" Mace smirked at the nickname.

"My dear Kara, Master Windu caught us after we came back from sneaking out one night. Don't you remember the firework incident?"

"Of course I- SHIT! Jay! Ho could you say that in front of a Master? The Senate still hasn't recovered from that!"

Mace was grinning at the interplay between the Padawans. Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker walked up during the firework remark.

"That was you, Jay?!" Anakin spoke up. He was a year older than Jay, now sixteen, and occasionally helped out with pranks.

Jay looked around dramatically. "Well, my friends, it seems we have been caught. I confess- at 2150 hours two months ago, us three snuck into the Senatorial Chamber and set off two hundred pounds of fireworks; most of them illegally made in Naboo. Cost me most of my savings."

"And mine, Jaybird."

"Don't forget me, Jayman."

Obi-Wan spoke. "I seem to remember you coming to me, Jaylar, and asking for a sizeable loan around two months ago. Was that in any way related?" Now Mace was almost doubled over laughing.

"I don't know, Master Kenobi. Was it? I think the guy I knew who supplied the fireworks was very suspicious of the amount given to him. He seemed to think that Jedi or a very rich Senator was buying the fireworks for a birthday party."

"Yeah, one _hell_ of a birthday party." Tax chimed in.

"Jaybird, the Archive closes in twenty minutes. You'd better hurry. Besides, I need to change."

Jay bowed to the Masters, then pulled a carved bluejay out of Tax's tunic pocket and sealed it to the wall, pressing a few spots on the tail. Kara, Anakin, and Tax took one look and fled down the corridor. The masters recognized the carving and also ran, following Jay.

Twenty seconds later, around the Jedi Temple fifty stink grenades exploded simultaneously.

Also simultaneously, there was a roar of rage from the poor victims of the prank; mostly Masters: "JAYLARRRRRRRRRR!"

Jay walked in through the Archive doors, winking at the receptionist, who blushed. She was fairly new and was not a Jedi, so Jay could do that kind of thing without getting in trouble. He pulled out a card and inserted it into the lift that would take him to his chosen section. Jay stepped in and waited for the doors to close.

Stepping out at the floor containing the writings of the ancient Jedi, Jay pulled out his card and stored it in a pocket. Walking through the room, he reverently took a few books and datapads off the shelves, dusted them off, and put them back.

Jay had found this room when he was eleven years old. He had stumbled into the lift, which automatically closed. He had pressed a series of buttons, completely random, trying to get out, but instead the lift went down, farther down past the normal floors. The doors had opened at this room, and Jay had curiously started reading through the books and datapads.

These writings and thoughts had come from Jedi who lived long, long ago. Their complete knowledge was stored here, in this small, 20 by 20 meter room. Jay had come here every day after that; taking books back to his quarters and reading them.

Today, Jay was looking for books from about three to four thousand years old. He had a huge project coming up and wanted to do something about the Jedi from that time period.

As Jay walked along, he ran into a low-lying table, causing him to trip and fall down onto his belly.

"OUCH! Kriffin' table." Jay muttered. As he started to get up, he noticed a seam on the ground. Interested, he ran his fingernails in the seam until he came to an opening. Jay lifted it up, grunting at the weight of the stone slab.

Inside was a small rectangular box, untouched by the elements nor worn down by age. On the box was an imprint of two lightsabers over a raven's head, the beak dripping blood.

"Holy Force, a Bloodraven…" Jay murmured. The Bloodraven, according to his history teacher, was the symbol of a Mandolorian clan, later used by the Dark Lord Revan as his symbol by adding two lightsabers above the beak.

Opening the box, Jay found several things: some Republic currency along with other, unknown types of money; a weapon that looked like a blaster with a label of "Smith & Wesson", a small, silver, square object with a screen and symbols on one side, and a journal marked "The personal journal of Revan: Jedi Knight, Dark Lord of the Sith, Bloodraven, and Mandalore."

_Holy shit_. Jay sat there for a moment. He- _he_- had in his hands the personal journal of Darth Revan, along with these other things. What should he do?

After a few moments of thinking, Jay made up his mind. He would not show this to the Council. He would take this box, and all its contents, and hide them in his room. There, he would have plenty of time to explore the box.

Pulling a bag out of a cupboard he had installed a few years back, Jay closed the box, put it in the bag, and used the Force to put a web of secrecy around the bag. A useful trick he had learned from Master Windu. He stood up, walked to the lift, got in, and left the room.

He failed to notice a small device in the hole where the box had been light up and start whirring. Ten seconds later, a message appeared on the device: SIGNAL SENT TO TER-SAT. ACTIVATING LAB 1.

Millions of light-years away, a satellite swivels toward a certain planet. Its orders programmed, the satellite started relaying data to a lab on the planet's surface. Data containing fingerprints, retinal scan results and Force Aura on one individual.

**A.N. Brownies to anyone who can guess what TER-SAT stands for. Yes, I realize that I have made Mace Windu a bit Out of Character, but what the story needs, the story gets. Now, which is your favorite OC so far? Let me know in your REVIEWS.**


	3. Lightsabers and Tempes

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.

**Okay, first off, to the idiots who can't read, but reviewed anyway, Chapter 2 is seven years ****after The Phantom Menace****, not seven years after KotOR. You imbecile! Did you ever learn how to read or make inferences? God, why do I even bother correcting you morons? To the kind people who noticed the mistake of not mentioning the time period in Chapter 2, thank you. As to where this story is going from here, I'll be sure to use small words. This is AU from Clone Wars on. That is, ****A****lternate ****U****niverse. I am using OCs because they do not have as many restrictions in writing, and plus, it's fun to create your own characters. I am using KotOR (Knights of the Old Republic) as actual events that happened 4 thousand years before Episode 1. I am making Revan originate from Earth. It is more interesting that way. Is that simple enough for the idiot that reviewed? I hope so.**

**Sorry to the other readers. I had a wrestling match today and lost, but my team won. I was blowing off steam at Mr. Moron Reviewer.**

Chapter Three: Lightsabers and Temples

"Oh, great job, Taxer! Way to make us four hours late for curfew!"

"It wasn't my fault the waitress offered more drinks!"

"Oh, sure. I noticed that you didn't refuse the next ten drinks, either. I've never seen _anyone_ that drunk before."

"Taxer, you are also going to buy me a new dress. _Any one I pick_. You're lucky I decided not to castrate you for ruining it."

The trio was currently creeping quietly- well, as quietly as three arguing teenagers can be- down the halls of the student quarters. After an amazing celebratory dinner, paid for mostly by Kara and Jay, Tax, had made the _incredibly_ bright decision to get drunk by flirting with and then bribing the waitress to get them free liquor. Needless to say, Jay and Kara were _not_ amused.

Tax had then decided to go running drunk along the streets of Coruscant. Jay and Kara split the tab and then went chasing off after him. For two sober Jedi against one drunk, tired Jedi was no challenge at all. Kara had tackled Tax down before he ran off a steep drop, but both ended up in the mud. Kara was now bleeding from three spots and her dress was muddy and torn. She had almost pushed Tax off the ledge herself for that.

Jay was currently dragging Tax by the scruff of the neck to his room, where he opened the door, threw Tax in (mildly gently), and closed the door. Then he turned to Kara.

"I am really sorry about Tax. Do you want me to buy the dress? We both know Tax doesn't have the money to buy a datapad, let alone a new dress."

Kara smiled and hugged Jay. "Thanks, Jaybird, but Taxer ruined it, and so he will buy me a new, very expensive, but not too flashy dress. It's sweet of you to offer, though."

Jay smiled back. "My pleasure." His expression suddenly turned quizzical. "Kara, have you ever noticed how we three seem to be different than all the other Jedi? Call me crazy, but there's a large difference, as far as I can tell."

"Whaddya mean?"

"We actually seem to have feelings, unlike every other Jedi. When we first met, we all agreed on how the Code was wrong, and how it should be. We're more powerful than the other Padawans by far. I don't really get it."

Kara grinned, and wrapped an arm around Jay while they were walking. "Silly Jaybird, we're a new type of Jedi. Or maybe an old one. We're going to turn this Order upside down and all around when we are Knights."

Jay slipped his arm around Kara as well. "I totally second that motion."

Then he abruptly realized what they were doing. Any Master who chose to walk down the hall at this moment would see two Padawans, a boy and a girl, walking down the hall with their arms around each other talking. He blushed. Kara seemed to realize that same thing, because she sopped, started blushing as well, and removed her arm from around his waist. Jay did the same. Kara spoke first.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Jay. I wasn't thinking-"

Jay put a finger to her mouth and said "Nothing to be sorry for, Kara. If you noticed, I responded. We both liked it."

Kara looked at him. "Still… Ah, never mind. It's late; I want to go to sleep." She walked to the door to her quarters, hesitated, walked back, and hugged Jay fiercely. She then walked quickly into her rooms.

As Jay walked away, he realized that he was smiling.

SWSWSWSWSW

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"As you can see, by adding crystals to the hilt in conjunction with the color crystal, the effects of a lightsaber's blade can be modified. Sadly, such crystals were lost about a thousand years after the Mandolorian Wars."

The bell rang. Padawans started putting their supplies away, eager to head to dinner. Master Alo, A Mon Calamari, signaled for attention.

"Remember class, your Padawan Projects will be due in three weeks. I expect no less than perfection from each and every one of you."

The class groaned audibly. The Master smirked. "Yes, yes, just do it. No go on, get out of here."

As Jay was preparing to leave, he heard Master Ado call out "Jaylar, a word, please."

Nodding to his friends to wait outside, Jay approached the Master's desk and asked "Yes, sir?"

"Jaylar, I have noticed that you have still not built your lightsaber yet. Is it because of your little problem?"

Jay nodded. "Yes, sir. I've looked at all the crystals, but none feel right. It seems like there is something missing from each crystal. I can't really explain it, sir."

"Actually, you did a fine job there. You have been to Ilum, haven't you?" Ilum was where the Jedi mined the crystals.

"Yes, sir. I even tried the red crystals, but no luck there, either."

Ado looked sharply up. "Jaylar, I would recommend that you stay away from those crystals. After the Trade Federation incident, the last thing we need is the worry of an Acheron warrior."

"An Acheron warrior?"

"Yes. Acheron warrior is a name for the Dark Jedi, the Jedi that used the Dark Side in combat. Almost every single one turned against the Jedi."

"Do you mean the Sith?"

"No. Sith were those who hated the Jedi and wanted to destroy us. Dark Jedi didn't really care either way, at first. But inevitably, almost all became Sith.

Jay concealed his surprise. "I've never heard of that term before, sir."

Ado nodded grimly. "It is not taught, in order to keep the Younglings and apprentices away from the temptation of the Dark Side. But you, Jaylar, I believe that you can defend yourself alone." Jaylar was one of Ado's favorite pupils.

Jay decided to bring up a topic that had been bothering him. "Master Ado, I've been having dreams. Strange ones."

Ado raised his eyebrows. "Really? And what do they entail?"

"I see a chamber. It's very old; I can tell for some reason. In the middle of the room is some sort of map; but there is something behind it. A pedestal."

Ado looked worried now. "And what is on that pedestal?"

"A light blue crystal, sir. It seems to glow, and I hear voices when I am near it. They say things like 'Mantle of the Force'; 'Balance'; … and 'Revan'."

"Revan, you say?"

"Yes, Sir."

Ado turned around and looked through the window for several seconds. He spoke with a quiet voice. "Jaylar, there are two crystals connected with Revan. They are also the stuff of myth and legend. One is the Heart of the Guardian crystal; supposedly the crystal that defeated the first Dark Lord of the Sith. It is supposed to greatly enhance the offensive power of the blade."

"And the other, Master?"

"The other is one you just mentioned. The Mantle of the Force."

Jay was trembling with excitement. "What does it do, sir?"

"I do not know, Jaylar. It was rumored to be a holy item of the Sith, taken from the Jedi and used to create their dark Order. It has tremendous power, but it has been lost for millennia."

Jay immediately had an epiphany. "Sir, maybe Revan had possession of the Mantle of the Force crystal. If he did, then maybe he had it with him when he died. Maybe he died in that chamber I saw."

"Child, no one knows what happened to Revan after the Star Forge War. Some say he went into exile, unable to accept what he was and had been. Others say he left to other galaxies, looking for his memory. Others still say that he committed suicide. the one thing that we do know is that he had found something out there… something hiding from us. And, theoretically, that is what made him decide to turn."

"I see. Thank you, Master." And with that, Jay left. He had another source to consult about this. Something he had found in a secret compartment in a hidden room.

Ado watched Jay leave, and then picked up a comlink. He spoke:

"Master Windu? This is Ado Can you come down here? There's something we need to discuss."

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Jay skipped dinner and sprinted back to his quarters. Once inside, he went to the drawer where he wad hidden the box, and pulled it out. He grabbed the journal and opened it.

Jay noticed a table of contents, so he flipped to that. The titles shocked him.

-My Childhood at the Temple.

-My Friends.

-The War.

-Our Plan.

-What We Found.

-Our Revolution.

-The Rakatans

-The Crystals

-The Massassi

-The Truth about the Force.

-Home

-My New Plan.

Revan reluctantly ignored the other sections and flipped to the section marked "My Crystals." He started to read Revan's neat, precise handwriting:

_Date: Seven Years after leaving the Republic._

_I have decided to break down and hide my lightsabers. They are too important to risk, and the next An'Allaen will need them more than I do. The Heart of the Guardian will go to Korriban, where no one will think to look for it. I will leave the Mantle of the Force in the ruins on Dantooine, where my destiny was first revealed. It will be protected, of course, but a true An'Allaen will be able to get past the traps and retrieve the crystal. To whoever reads this, read my notes on the Force. You will not survive the traps or the True Sith without my knowledge. Our knowledge. Once you have retrieved the crystals, the next stage of your training will start. But first, you must understand…_

Jay leaned back. So, the chamber was on Dantooine. But there were traps that only certain Force users could avoid or get past. And in order to do that, he needed to "understand the Force." That meant more reading. So Jay flipped to the section marked "The Truth about the Force."

An hour later, Jay put the book down, exhausted but thrilled. He now had a few ideas for his Padawan Project. He pulled out a notebook and started writing, titling it "YinYang and Balance: The Truth of the Force." Okay, it was plagiarism, but what the hell. No one else had read the journal.

As Jay continued writing, he never noticed his door sliding open and two sets of eyes watching him. Blissfully unaware, Jay kept writing, occasionally drawing pictures.

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"Okay, Class! It is Project Day today, and I expect perfection! First up will be Jaylar with his presentation on…" Master Ado frowned at the page, "YinYang and Balance: The Truth about the Force." Under his breath, he said "This ought to be interesting."

Jay stood up and walked to the front of the room, bowing to the Masters as he went. For some reason, they had decided to show up for the Padawan Project, which was rather unusual. In the crowd, Jay could see Mace Windu, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and several other Masters he didn't know. In the student's section, Kara, Tax, and Anakin gave him thumbs-up and mouthed 'good luck'. Only Kara had seen his project beforehand.

Jay cleared his throat and started. "Thank you, everyone, for coming here today. My name, as you probably know, is Jaylar," here there were snorts of laughter (who hadn't heard of him), "and my project is about the truth about the Force." The Masters looked interested.

Jay pulled up a picture of a circle split in half by an S-shaped line. "The Force is all around us; it is everywhere and nowhere; it has always been and always will be. Jedi and Sith alike are taught that the Force has two sides; a light side and a dark side. The light side is positive emotions and good; the dark side is darker emotions such as anger, hate, and passion. The Jedi are taught to revere the Force; the Sith are taught to use it as a tool."

"They're both wrong." And that simple statement caused ripples in the crowd. Master Yoda leaned forward in interest. Anakin looked shocked.

"The Force is energy; given off and fueled by every single thing in the universe. Energy cannot be good or evil; it's how we use it. Jedi try to obtain a state of no emotions whatsoever; limiting their Force power. Sith are taught to give in to darker emotions, but to reject so-called 'weaker' emotions like compassion and love. They have more Force power, but less control."

"Jedi worship the Force like Nature Monks. This is wrong. The Force is not a god or divine being; it is energy that surrounds and shapes us. Embrace the Force, and you embrace the universe."

Jedi stared at the Masters. "Jedi teach us to get rid of our emotions. Why? Emotions give us power; we just have to not be consumed or controlled by them. Anger, Love, Hate; use their power, but do not give in. That way, we can become true vessels of the Force."

Jay motioned to Kara, who stood, drew her lightsaber, and tossed it to him. Jay caught and ignited it, saluting Kara. He closed his eyes, took several deep breaths, and dove into the mass of emotions in his mind. Mastering control of them, using each and every one of them, he threw himself into the Force and focused on the lightsaber.

In front of the entire audience, Kara's lightsaber flew up, turned off, and started dismantling itself, the parts hanging in midair. Then, the parts, except for the crystal, dissolved into little flecks of gray dust- their original components.

The Masters and students gasped. Destroying a Jedi's lightsaber was the ultimate insult.

Jay wasn't finished, though. Brow knit in concentration, he surrendered to the Force. As one group, the dust on the ground rose up to eye height and slowing began forming the parts of the lightsaber. In about a minute (Jay wanted to show off) the lightsaber was fully formed again. Jay grasped it, ignited it, and saluted the Masters.

The Masters were muttering to each other. Such a display of Force Power and control had not been seen in their lifetimes. Yoda was staring at Jay, his expression unreadable. Anakin was grinning in delight. Yep, Jay was going to pass with flying colors.

Jay cleared his throat. "Master Fisto, would you please step forward? Also, Tax, Anakin, may I borrow your sabers?"

The students looked started, but nodded and tossed the sabers to Jay, who caught them with the Force. Kit Fisto had stepped forward and was waiting for Jay. Using the Force, Jay lifted the three sabers into the air and ignited all of them. Floating them in a defensive position around his head, he motioned to Kit.

Master Fisto understood, and removed his cloak. He drew his lightsaber, lowered the power level, and attacked with a middle-level kata.

Jay attacked with a classic Sith defense, learned from Revan's notebook. Two sabers blocked Kit's while one flew around behind. Kit whirled, kicked at the saber, and parried the other two blows.

The students in the crowd would never forget the battle before them. At least half had taken out vid recorders and were taping the duel. The Masters were getting into the spirit of the match, nodding with each good move.

After seven or so minutes of battle, Jay managed to sweep Kit's legs out from under him, knock his saber away, and place the other two across his throat in an X shape.

"Do you yield?"

Kit nodded. "I yield, Padawan."

Jay deactivated the sabers, floated the sabers back to their owners, who he saluted. He offered a hand to Kit, who accepted it and stood up, and then rejoined the Masters.

Jay smirked to himself internally. "That is a small example. Jedi long ago- one in particular- managed great feats with the Force; including superhuman abilities, abilities to visualize the future, or certain routed the future could take, and even…" Jay trailed off dramatically. "… and even flight."

The students and Masters muttered, shocked and amazed. Such feats were only dreams, at least to them, but this Padawan had somehow tapped a way to make them real.

Jay bowed to the crowd. "Thank you for your time. Remember, emotions are things to be accepted. They are part of a pathway to things most people can't… possibly imagine."

And with that, Jay left the room, leaving a shell-shocked crowd and intrigued Masters behind.

Master Ado recovered his voice. "Ah… yes. Well, next up will be Arkah, with a project on Galactic politics…"

In the back of a room, the man watched silently. It was good that he had taken time to visit these projects; otherwise, he would never have been able to see the possibilities unfolding with this Jaylar. With the boy, his Empire would rise, and no one would stop them. _No one._

SWSWSWSW

SWSWSWSW

**End of Chapter Three! What shall be next… Possibly a trip to Dantooine? Masters coming to Jay? Another chapter of the Journal? I don't know…**

**Come on, people, REVIEW!! Though nicely, please.**

**Please? I want (good) reviews. They are the chocolate of Fanfiction.**


	4. Nonconformity's Consequences

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or any real-life object, person, item, or song that appears in this story. However, I do own my OCs. I love my OCs.

**Chapter Four: Nonconformity's Consequences**

The shuttle hurtled through hyperspace, taking its passenger far away form the galaxy that he had used as a chessboard for so many years. The shuttle, piloted by a droid who's sole function was to pilot the craft back to its masters, had passed beyond the edges of the Republic's galaxy two days ago and continued onwards to a location only the passenger knew. The man was rather important in the Republic, but a double and several subtle Force suggestions took care of any questions.

It had been twenty five years since the man had witnessed something that had made him dig deeper into the past than anyone had ever considered, besides the Jedi. Finding an ancient journal written by the race he was now going to meet, the man had painstakingly followed a series of clues and puzzles around the galaxy, leading to an old forgotten planet.

The clues were almost impossible to understand, but certain statues and other pieces of artwork had shown hyperspace routes and codes used to find the race and meet with them.

It had taken twenty five years and long, exhausting research, but it had been worth it. The research was what led to him becoming a prominent figure on his home planet; influencing him to go into politics. Only recently, however, had he managed to find the planet, only to realize that this was a stopping ground, a neutral zone. He had sent word around, discreetly, that he would pay good money to meet with a certain group called the Massassi. In time, his money paid off for him. He could still remember the day…

_Flashback._

_He walked into a well-lit room, decorated with pictures of ancient wars and duels. There were writings on the walls, but what interested him most were the pictures of Jedi and Sith battling. At least, he thought it was the Sith. the Sith were in groups of five or more, some fighting on their own, but this violated the basic Rule of Two of the Sith. There can only be two Sith at a time! Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind by two men. A hood was forced over his head and he was immobilized by the Force. He could sense it now, a black aura everywhere in the room. It felt of hate, rage, violence, bloodlust, betrayal, and other, nameless things. He smelled something sweet, and everything went black. _

_He woke up in a darkened room; with a light on him and three men facing him from behind a desk. They were dressed in black, red, and purple and had a varied arrangement of weapons. The main thing he noticed was the presence of lightsabers at their waists. He guessed that his contact's fees should be doubled. He had brought him straight to the Massassi._

_The middle man spoke. "You have been searching for us. You followed our markers and codes and made your way here." It was not a question._

_He inclined his head. "Yes. I have a proposition for you. You and the rest of your people."_

_"What could the Senator from Naboo possibly offer us?" _

_The Senator was impressed. The men must have good contacts and sharp eyes._

"_I can offer you this galaxy, and everyone in it. Without the Jedi alive."_

_The last statement surprised the men. It seemed they had been anticipating the first part of the offer._

_The left Massassi spoke. "How can you do that, Senator? No one in this galaxy has the power to kill all the Jedi." The word _Jedi_ was spat out in a tone of hate. _

"_If you know who I am, than you know of my goal to become Supreme Chancellor of the Republic."_

_The men nodded._

_I will not give you the specifics, but if I succeed at becoming Chancellor, I will have the power to start wars, among others. I can have my Sith apprentice place an order for a large army to be created and programmed to follow my orders. All I need is some help from your people and to convert a few key Jedi."_

_The men looked at each other and left the room. Ten minutes later, they came back and sat down. The middle man, obviously the spokesman, started._

"_We do not have the power to agree to this kind of deal. You will need to talk to our Supreme Commander in our galaxy."_

"_How would I accomplish that?"_

"_We will send a messenger when we are ready. Until then, resume your plans. Starting a civil war would be a good start."_

_The Senator stood and bowed to each man shortly. "Thank you, Masters all, for your time. I will send my apprentice here in six weeks time, to relay messages. His name is Maul."_

"_Very well. Now, you must leave. We have to conference with the others._

"_The Senator bowed in respect and left, shutting the door. The right man looked at the middle man._

"_You think he'll actually be able to pull it off?"_

_"I'd be surprised if he did."_

(the Senator did not here the last part, obviously)

It would be another two days for this advanced ship to reach the Massassi Galaxy. The Senator, now the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, relaxed in his custom-designed throne and started doing what he loved and did best: making plots.

He had never intended Maul to survive; the Zabrak was too much of an animal to have power. He had noticed Count Dooku after the Trade Federation blockade, and had managed to sway the Jedi Master's opinion of the Council and the Jedi. Three years later, Dooku had sworn himself at Darth Sidious' new apprentice. Sidious was most pleased.

Palpatine spent the night and the next day planning out his response to the Massassi Supreme Commander. He had no doubt that the man would be a cunning, ruthless, and powerful leader, ruling through fear as well as power. He needed to be prepared to meet this man.

While Palpatine was putting the finishing touches on his speeches, the shuttle dropped out of hyperspace and into normal subspace. Palpatine looked out the viewport and saw a huge fleet surrounding a large, green world with large cities and many ship ports.

What Palpatine noticed first was the aura emanating from everywhere. It was the as in the room with the three Massassi, only it was heavier, darker, and much more evil. The very stench of it was in his nostrils.

He reveled in it.

The next thing he noticed was the ships. They were gigantic; made in a very unfamiliar design. From the amount of weapons he saw on the ships, they were definitely battle cruisers of some sort. If only the new Separatist movement had a few of those…

The ship was hailed by a series of long notes and short notes, sent to the droid. The droid responded, and the ship began to dip down to the planet.

Palpatine was almost beside himself with nervousness and excitement. This was it; the moment he had been waiting for. The chance to rule the Republic for himself with out petty laws stopping him…

As the ship touched down, the droid went through landing protocol, lowered the ramp, and then shut itself off promptly. Palpatine spared one last look at the droid.

"Curious…" he muttered to himself before straightening his ceremonial robes, which contained his lightsaber in a hidden pocket, and walking out into the sunlight.

Palpatine had expected lots of people gathered around; staring at him and the ship, but all that was there was a lone man with two armed guards behind him on either side.

The man would have stood out in a crowd of a million. He wore long black robes with patterns in red and purple adorning them that swirled in the light breeze. The man was tall, black-haired, and fair-skinned, though his skin had a tanned look to it. He had multiple scars on his face and hands; several caused by lightsaber blades. One scar ran from his mouth to his ear. His guards wore purple and black and carried lightsabers, unfamiliar blasters, and two short swords each.

Palpatine was taken aback by the appearance of the three. _I definitely have to see about uniforms and arsenals like this for my guards_. He steeled himself and walked forward.

"Chancellor Palpatine, welcome to Malevon III. I am Jaros, Supreme Commander of the Massassi Empire."

_Smooth_, Palpatine thought. The man had taken the upper hand with his display of knowledge about him.

"Supreme Commander, thank you for allowing me to meet with you. I am surprised that none of our predecessors have met before. We have quite a lot to offer each other."

"Yes, my men in your galaxy informed me about your proposition. It was quite an interesting read."

"What was so interesting about it?"

"Oh, the fact that you would give up your galaxy to your Republic's ancient enemy. After all, we almost destroyed your galaxy about ten thousand years ago."

Palpatine stopped. "Your archives did not mention that, Commander." Inside, he was seething at not knowing that little piece of trivia.

Jaros shrugged as they continued walking. "It was a long time ago, Chancellor."

The two men arrived at a door which took them into a lift. As the lift rose up, Jaros turned to Palpatine and asked "Do you really need us, Chancellor? It seems you have been doing well on your own. The clone army seems to be progressing nicely."

Damn him! How did he know! Palpatine realized that this man was testing the waters; seeing how much he needed the Massassi while taking him off guard. He obviously was a skilled politician.

"Yes, the army is moving along. However, I need your help to train elite soldiers, provide a military presence during the inevitable war, and, most currently, to either convert or kill several key Jedi. At the moment."

Jaros' eyes glinted with humor. "You want us to kill Jedi? We'd do that for free. The others are acceptable. But what do we get out of it now?"

The lift doors opened into a large, richly furnished office. Jaros swept out and walked to his desk, while Palpatine followed and sat down in a chair in front of the desk. Jaros picked a small wrapped candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth, chewing silently before swallowing. He then sighed before offering one to Palpatine. "Chocolate?"

Palpatine accepted and tested it for poison before eating it. The taste was indescribably good, with a dark tang that left his mouth dry.

Jaros chuckled. "Good, isn't it? It came from a world that we fought for a long, long time. They gave us the recipe before we fought. "

Palpatine smiled. "Did you fight them in order to gain their chocolate?"

"No, but that was one of the best parts of winning the war. It's almost addictive. Now, what do we get out of helping you with your army and Jedi problems?"

"A permanent foothold in our galaxy, for starters, and you will be in charge of the Galactic Empire once the Jedi are hunted down as rebels and terrorists."

"I enjoy the idea of hunting Jedi down like animals. They deserve it; all of them. I assume you would want to govern your galaxy, or at least the Inner Core?"

"It was my hope, yes."

Jaros nodded. "I suppose I can loan you some of my colonels and SpecOps soldiers. Maybe some True Sith as well."

"I beg your pardon. True Sith?"

"Oh, yes. Our Force users are true masters of the dark side. We use every single emotion and turn it to our tool for power and violence. I myself am the Grand Master of the True Sith. The weakest of us could decimate twenty five Jedi in combat."

Palpatine was stunned. "Why have I never heard that term before?"

"Because your Jedi do not know about us. A hundred of us could destroy the Jedi Order. I could take out the Jedi Counsel by myself, if I felt like it."

"Have any Jedi ever come to this galaxy?"

Hate flashed in Jaros' eyes. "Yes. Four thousand years ago. One Jedi came and began a war against our Empire. He almost won."

"What was his name?"

"His name was Revan. A Jedi who became a Sith Lord, turned back to the Jedi, and came here to wage his war."

Palpatine knew his Sith history. "Darth Revan? The Sith Lord who almost defeated the Republic four thousand years ago tried to destroy you?"

"The very same."

"I see. He must not have done very well, as you are still here."

Jaros closed his eyes. "Revan was a master general; a cunning strategist and a vicious warrior. His guerrilla war took a huge toll on our Empire. He could easily take over your Republic today."

"I sincerely doubt that."

"Maybe, maybe not. But, on to lighter matters. Would you like a tour of the capital?"

Palpatine eagerly nodded. "I would love that, Commander."

"Splendid! I will convey it myself."

The two men took a several hour-long tour of the capital palace and city. The city, named Malevon City appropriately enough, was a show of efficiency and power. The population was completely made up of humans. The workers, called "commoners", were the lowest in the hierarchy, just above dirt. They had to do whatever the higher ranked wanted them to do. Next was the military, who were police and security as well as soldiers. The True Sith were next, and always held positions of power; the ones that survived, anyways. The staff of the Supreme Commander was a mix of the three categories of people in the city.

Jaros explained that this was an easy way to get things done. Rebellions were almost nonexistent, as the military and Sith were extremely harsh masters. Tortures and executions were fairly common among the higher-ranked.

The city itself had existed for almost twenty thousand years. It had been almost completely obliterated during Revan's war, but had been rebuilt about fifty years after the Massassi came out of hiding.

Palpatine was fascinated by the technology and weaponry of the Massassi. He asked Jaros if he could borrow a few engineers and weapon designers, and was met with agreement. The most advanced weapons would decimate almost an entire planet. The clones could certainly use that!

Palpatine and Jaros continued the tour, exchanging information about their respective cultures. Jaros mostly wanted information about the Jedi, but he was interested in the Senate and how it worked. Palpatine, who loved politics, treated him in a crash course on Republic politics. Manipulating Senators was rather easy; if money did not work, coercion or influencing would. Jaros looked interested at the idea of influencing the Senate to give Palpatine emergency powers to use the Clone Army. He gave Palpatine a datapad on good war tactics to use with the Separatists.

Soon, Palpatine realized that he would have to return to the Republic soon; he had been gone for a while now. He pointed this out to Jaros, who responded.

"Of course, Chancellor. I will show you to your ship." The two men set off to the 'parking lot.'

When they arrived, Palpatine bid his thanks and goodbyes to Jaros, who promised to send the soldiers and Sith over in six weeks time. Palpatine was about to the ship when Jaros called out.

"Chancellor Palpatine."

"Yes, Commander?"

"Remember when I said how Revan almost destroyed us?"

"Yes; what about it?"

"Well, I lied. The truth is that Revan _did_ destroy our Empire. By himself."

Palpatine was shocked. "One Jedi destroyed your Empire? How did he do that?"

"He was no ordinary Jedi. He had… powers. Powers beyond what any Force user ever born had or has. I have read detailed journals say Revan to have flown, pulled moons down to planets from orbit, and display a host of other abilities. He completely wiped us out, except for a small group that fled and hid for five hundred years from him. We never saw him again, fortunately."

Palpatine was floored. Could this have anything to do with the young Jedi Jaylar's presentation on the Force? He would have to investigate the young Jedi more fully.

"I-I see, Commander. Is that a well-known fact?"

"No. Only certain Massassi know about that. The rest believe Revan had an army or that we killed him. You are the first non-Massassi besides Revan to know."

"Well. Thank you for trusting me with that piece of information, Commander. You will hear from me in six weeks."

"Very well. May the Force always serve you completely, Chancellor."

"And you too, Commander." And with that, Palpatine entered the ship.

As the ship took off from Malevon III, all Palpatine could think about was the young Padawan who had somehow found out about Revan's powers. There was no other explanation.

_You will serve me, Jaylar, or you will die. My new allies will see to that_.

And the shuttle took off into hyperspace, taking its Dark Lord home.

**Five weeks later.**

Jay was feeling very depressed. It had been four months since his presentation on the Force, and his life had taken a definite turn for the worst. Students and Masters who passed him in the hallways avoided him, sometimes taking longer routes rather than walk down the hallways with him. Teachers who had favored him now ignored him in class. Only Tax and Kara stuck with him.

The worst part was that his sixteenth birthday was coming up in two weeks, and he still hadn't been chosen as a Padawan Learner by a Master. Almost everyone had been accepted by a Master but him and his friends.

Jay saw a bunch of students coming around a corner and instantly turned himself invisible. He had discovered the trick in Revan's notebook, which described it as a mind trick that made others see only air and whatever was behind him when they looked at him. Very useful when you were tired of being shunned and didn't want to be seen.

When the students had gone, Jay shut off the mind trick and sat down against the wall. He put his head into his hands. Why him? Why had he, a student with so much going for him, be avoided and made an outcast by almost everyone?

Jay reached into his journal and pulled out Revan's notebook. He opened it up to a page that he had read before; showing Revan's notes on how to fly without any sort of help except the Force. No matter how hard Jay tried, he still couldn't fly. He could do almost everything else, besides pulling ships out of the sky, (no one wanted to donate their ship and their lives), but flight still evaded him.

Hearing running footsteps, Jay looked up, only to be tackled down to the ground by a dark-haired blur. The next thing he knew, he was on his back, having the life hugged out of him.

"Jay! I can't believe it! Can't you? Oh, I've been waiting for this for forever! C'mon Jay, get up! We need to go celebrate. C'mon, GET UP!!!"

"Kara- _oof_- get off! I can't breathe!"

"Whoops! Sorry. But come on, we need to go out!"

"Why? I swear, Kara, I think you want to crush me to death sometimes." Jay grumbled, putting his book away.

"Jaybird, _I got chosen_!"

"Wha- really?"

"Yes, of course! Master Fisto came to me and asked if I wanted to be his apprentice. I almost fell off the balcony- he stopped me- but I said yes, and now I'm an _apprentice_!!!"

Jay was stunned. Then, he remembered his manners and hugged Kara, who almost knocked him over again.

"Well, Kara, now you can say _I told you so_."

"Huh?"

"You always said that you'd be chosen for your fighting skills. We only argued that your fighting skills were when we teased you and you started beating us up. Remember?"

"Oh. My. God. I cannot believe you remember that. We were nine!"

"Go ahead, say it."

"_I told you so_! Ha! Now, let's go out to dinner. Tax won't be back for another two days, so he'll miss out." Tax had been chosen last week by a Jedi pilot and technician who had been watching him for a while.

"All right. At least we won't have to go chasing him down again like last time."

"Thank the Force!"

SWSW

The next morning after breakfast, Jay was walking back up to his quarters when he was called back by Mace Windu.

"Jaylar, we need to talk."

Jay turned around and walked back over to Mace. "Yes, Master?"

"Jaylar, I really don't want to tell you this, but your birthday is coming up in a few weeks, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, you know that the age for Padawans to leave the Order if they do not have a Master is sixteen."

"Yeah, I know what the Age of Rejection is." Jay was feeling a lot less charitable toward the Masters after they had called him in to question him about his presentation and his loyalties.

Mace's tone hardened a little. "Jaylar, you know that you are most likely going to end up on an AgriCorp planet if you keep up this idea of using emotions as power. It's not the Jedi way."

The next remark changed Jay's life. "Well, then maybe I shouldn't be a Jedi! After all, your little cowardly act of running from emotions just makes you weaker. All of you."

A crowd had been growing, and that remark made them dead silent. There was no noise in the hallway.

Mace's face went from shock to anger to disgust to its customary ice mask. "I see. If that's how you really feel…" He left without another word.

All eyes turned to Jay, who left in a different direction than Mace. In less than an hour, most people in the Temple would know about the little incident.

Jay stalked back to his rooms, seething. Once inside, he let his anger go and let a huge blast of Force Lightning at the targets he had set up to practice offensive moves and powers. In less than ten seconds, the targets were in ruins.

Jay walked over to the box that held Revan's possessions and pulled out the thin rectangular box that had a screen. Turning it over, he saw the word "iPod" on the back.

"Weird…" looking in the large box, he saw an instruction booklet that said "iPod" on it as well. Opening it up, he started reading. It took about five minutes to read through, but once he was done, Jay was bouncing with excitement. He picked up the iPod and slid the ear buds into his ears. Turning it on, he slid through the songs, noting names like "AC/DC", "Fall Out Boy", "Motley Crue", "Kevin Rudolf", and others. Turning on a song from "P!nk" called "So What?", he relaxed and listened.

About four minutes later, he turned off the iPod and grinned. That was the perfect song for his mood. Putting it back into the box, Jay started cleaning up his rooms and packing certain items into a bag while quietly singing a portion from the song.

At this point, Kara walked into his room, yelling "Jaybird, where are you? Master Ado is looking for you- Whoa. What in the nine hells are you doing?"

Jay zipped up and locked his bag and turned to Kara. "Kara, I'm leaving."

"What?"

"Kara, I'm leaving the Order. Either they get their heads out of the sand or I leave."

Kara looked at him like he had grown another head. "Jay, I heard about your fight with Master Windu, but do you really think they'd send you to the AgriCorp?"

"In a heartbeat. That's why I'm going to give them my ultimatum."

Kara stood absolutely still.

"Kara?"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! YOU SELFISH BASTARD!!"

"What??"

"You are going to leave all your friends behind while you go run around the galaxy, just because you're mad about _not getting chosen_? It's not all about you, Aranos!

"I never said-"

"You meant it, and that's enough! I hate you, you bastard!" Kara stormed out of the room.

Jay stood stock-still, and then ran out of the room with his bag hanging on his shoulder. "Kara, wait!"

But Kara was gone.

Jay hit himself in the head. "Nice going, Aranos! Way to push away your friends!"

"Jaylar!" Master Ado was walking up the steps to the student's dorm hall.

"Yes, sir?" Jay inquired coldly.

"Jay, Master Darna and I are going on a mission to the Terwan planet, and the Council wants you to come along. Are you going to come or not?"

"I didn't hear about it." Jay lied. He didn't want others to know about his fight with Kara just yet.

"Oh. Well, do you want to come?"

"Well, why not? I'm all packed."

"Good! Our transport shuttle leaves in twenty minutes. We'd better hurry.

Three hours later, Jay, Ado, and Darna were aboard the shuttle destined for Terwan. Ado had dozed off, while Darna, a female Twi'lek who was an expert pilot. Jay was reading Revan's notebook quietly.

Darna spoke up. "We're touching down in ten minutes. Get ready to depart. Jay, please wake up Ado. Use any means necessary." Darna had stuck by Jay after his project had driven others away.

"Can I use water?"

"No. I hate cleaning up this place."

Jay laughed and yelled in Ado's ear "Pirates! Attack!"

Ado shot up and flipped over to the door, where we ignited his lightsaber and yelled "We are Jedi! Get back!" Then he noticed that Darna and Jay were doubled over laughing .

"Okay, okay, not funny!"

"No, Ado. Funny." gasped out Darna.

Twenty minutes later, Jay and Ado were on the planet's surface, threading their way through a crowd. Jay felt something was wrong. Ado kept looking at his watch, then back at the ship. Finally, Jay spoke up.

"Master, why are we here?" Ado did not answer, but Jay felt something through the Force. Spinning around, he saw Darna's ship rise up and take off towards the sky.

Jay turned to Ado and pulled out a knife, which he pointed at Ado's throat. "I'll ask again. What the hell is going on here?"

"Jaylar, I'm really sorry about this. I never wanted this to happen, but the Council overruled me. Plus, most of the other Masters agreed with them. I drew the short straw."

Jay's patience had just vanished. "What do you mean? What are you doing with me?"

"Jaylar… The Council has decreed that in two weeks time, you will be dismissed from the Jedi Order and sent to work on our AgriCorp planet. You are no longer a Jedi Padawan."

**A.N. Wow! I've been trying to find a way to incorporate all the ideas I've had together, and this chapter is the basis of things yet to come. Yes, ****everything**** in this chapter had a purpose. I'll tell you, though… I was not planning to do the event with Kara this chapter, but after some time to think, I pulled a sub-plot together. Yes, Kara had a reason for blowing up at Jay. No, it was not her "time of the month." Keep guessing. And, please people… Putting this story on your favorites is flattering, but reviews help more. I want ideas from you readers. Now, what will I have Jay do with the Council? Ideas, please! I have a small notion…**

**Review!**


	5. Fly through the Air

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, or anything that appears in this story. I do own my OCs, though. If I owned Star Wars, I wouldn't be writing stories about it. Oh, during Jay's flight scene, play the song Thunderstruck by AC/DC in your head or out loud as you read it. It fits the scene almost perfectly.

**Chapter Five: Fly through the Air with the Greatest of Ease…**

_Jay turned to Ado and pulled out a knife, which he pointed at Ado's throat. "I'll ask again. What the hell is going on here?"_

_"Jaylar, I'm really sorry about this. I never wanted this to happen, but the Council overruled me. Plus, most of the other Masters agreed with them. I drew the short straw."_

_Jay's patience had just vanished. "What do you mean? What are you doing with me?"_

_"Jaylar… The Council has decreed that in two weeks time, you will be dismissed from the Jedi Order and sent to farm on our AgriCorp planet. You are no longer a Jedi Padawan._

Jay developed tunnel vision. All he could see was Ado's solemn face looking at him. Jay staggered backward and dropped to his knees.

"I'm… what? Banished from the Order?" His anger growing, Jay pushed himself up and faced Ado. He tucked his knife back into its pocket. "You better have a good explanation for this, Ado, or I swear, the Order will be delivered this city and everyone in it back in pieces. Starting with you."

Ado held up his hands. "Jaylar, it was not my idea; I swear by the Force it wasn't."

"Then why did you do this?"

Ado laughed quietly. "I drew the short straw."

Jay's mouth twitched. "I suppose you'll be okay… but I'm not too sure about the Council. Who suggested this?"

Ado's shoulders slumped. "I had come back from a mission and was reporting to the Council. Somehow, the subject of you came up, and it was only a matter of time before someone brought up your age."

"But who was it?"

Ado glared at the sky. "Ki-Adi Mundi. He's been going on about you and trying to get you expelled since your presentation. Something about you has hit him wrong. By the way, you passed your project with flying colors, if you want to know."

Jay snorted. "Like that matters now." He suddenly remembered. "What's going on with Kara? She's seemed a little distressed the last few weeks, and it came to head today. She blew up at me. Is it her time of the month?"

Ado choked. "Jaylar, please do not bring that subject up in front of me. Females of all species are complicated, but that… Please. We are Jedi."

"Well, you are. Sorry."

"Never mind. It's alright. To answer your question. Kara Jarel's mother had been extremely sick the last few weeks. I believe she had an incurable disease caused by a plague on her planet. Just recently, she passed away."

Jay was stunned. "Sweet Force… I never knew. And after what I told her…"

Ado's toned sharpened. "What did you tell her?"

"I…I told her that I was going to leave the Jedi Order, because of my age and the blindness of the Council. I guess she just snapped."

"That was not wise, Jaylar. You should go and apologize."

Jay laughed bitterly. "And how am I going to do that, Master? I have no transportation off this rock. I've been condemned to slave labor in the fields for the rest of my life."

Ado met his gaze steadily. "Jaylar, there is one thing you have forgotten."

"Oh?"

"The Force. Remember your presentation?"

"Of course I…" Jay trailed off. "Shit! How could I forget?"

"Quite easily, it seems. And what is "shit?"

"Um, a derogatory term for manure, used as a swear word?"

"I see. Please refrain from using it in my presence."

"Sorry. How come you remembered that when I forgot it?"

Ado grinned. "I watched reruns of your presentation, and have tried to achieve the state of emotions you described. Already, I can feel the difference."

Jay was impressed. "Wow… You really took my words to heart, Master. But… I don't know how to fly."

"I would imagine it is much like levitating an object, young Jaylar. Only for flight, you would focus on propelling yourself through the air. Try it now."

"Yes, Master." Jay was surprised by how the two slipped into their original roles so easily, with Ado being the teacher and him the student.

"Shall we go to a more private place, Master? There are a few people around, after all." Some locals were staring at them strangely.

"Very well, Jaylar. Follow me." Ado turned and swept off towards a grassy field, Jaylar jogging to keep up.

When they reached the field, Ado turned to Jaylar and said "Well? Impress me, Padawan."

"Padawan?"

Ado nodded solemnly. "Yes, Jaylar. You are not banished from the Order just yet. Remember, you still have two weeks until your birthday."

Jay's spirits lifted. "So you mean…"

"Yes. As of now, you are still a Jedi apprentice. So, impress me!"

Jaylar closed his eyes and concentrated on all of his emotions. Anger and rage at the Council, contempt for the Jedi who were sheep, hurt at being abandoned, pity for the poor students who had failed to get a Master and had been sentenced to life as a farmer, his friendships with Kara, Tax, and Ado, and…what was that emotion?

Jay looked at it, and couldn't recognize it. It seemed to pulse and was underneath all the other emotions, buried, but gave larger amounts of power off.

What is it? Jay wondered. He pulled away reluctantly and became a receptacle for all the various emotions; gathering them together. He could feel their differences, combining to form an energy that flowed through him.

"Any day now, Jaylar." Ado's sarcastic voice broke in.

The power vanished. Jay opened his eyes and glared at Ado. "Please do not rush me, Master. I was very close." He closed his eyes again.

This time, the power came easier, and Jay connected to the Force. Instantly he felt a rush of adrenaline. Energy was seeping in through every pore on his skin, filling him with power. Jay stood up, opened his eyes, and with a large, loud blast, he rocketed up through the air, and into the atmosphere.

Ado stood on the ground far below. Slowly, he began to clap, speeding up as he went.

"Bravo, Jaylar, bravo! You have made an old man proud. Ah, if only the Council could see you now."

Jay felt the air gust by him. With his connection to the Force, Jay could sense every living thing in the air and on the ground. Slowly, he stretched his arms out in front of him. What the heck- it wasn't like anyone was around here. A large whoop escaped from his throat: "WAAA-HOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Streaking through the air, Jay got a crazy idea and grinned. He tilted upwards, heading through the various 'spheres and into space. Strangely, none of him or his clothes burned off during entry.

Weird- space was cold. There was no air, but Jay could fly very well up here. It was strange that he could breathe, but Jay chalked that off to the Force helping it.

Jay turned around and looked at the world. It was rather small, now that he thought of it. He could distinctly make out the continents and several of the larger cities.

_I wish Tax and Kara could see this_, Jay thought, but then corrected himself. Kara and Tax would see views like this all the time from their ships, but nothing like this. He, Jay, was the first sentient to view worlds like this in four thousand years, ever since Revan lived.

That abruptly reminded Jay. The cave on Dantooine! The Mantle of the Force crystal was somewhere there. All he had to do was find the cave, overcome the traps, and then take the crystal. Easy as taking books from babies.

With a plan in mind, Jay faced towards where he knew Ado would be waiting for him. First, he needed to explain his plan, and then take a small detour before hitting Coruscant.

Smiling, Jay flew back to the surface, plotting ways to intimidate the Council as he went.

Kara Jarel was in one of her moods. When she was in one, you either ran like hell or… well, there was no other option. Just run like hell.

What had Kara so mad? There were several answers. The first was that her mother had just died from a plague. Normally, she would go and cry, but she was a Jedi. Jedi do not cry. Also, she knew her mother for only four years. Not enough time to make a connection to her.

Next was that she had just learned that Jaybird Aranos, her best friend for thirteen years, had been kicked out of the Order. When she had learned that, Kara had to be restrained from marching up to the Council room and throttling the Council members until they agreed to take Jay back. When she had 'politely requested' that they rethink their decision, she was met with a reprimand and a punishment. Lucky her.

After that meeting, Kara had walked back to her room and collapsed on her bed, crying. Anyone who knocked on her door was met with an electric shock that sent flying them back seven feet. A security measure that Kara and Jay had designed for both their doors to dissuade any unwanted visitors. Six people were shocked that night. Literally. Master Fisto had reprimanded her for that.

Kara wasn't sure why she was so distressed after learning Jaybird's fate. Sure, he had been her friend many years, but she wasn't sure that she would have cried for two hours straight if Taxer had been dismissed.

She remembered her and Jaybird's nighttime walk after taking Tax back from the steakhouse. She still blushed when she thought of that. Why did she blush when she thought of Jay in that situation? She didn't know.

Kara took a few turns, still deep in thought. When she ran into a door, she finally looked up. She abruptly realized that she was in front of Jay's old rooms.

Taking out her passcard that she had, she bypassed the lock and electric shock system on Jay's door and walked in. Closing the door, she took a look around the room.

There was still some clutter around the room, but as Jay had wisely put it, "clutter makes a room look lived in." Tax and Jay had taken that to heart and kept permanent clutter in their rooms.

Wandering around, Kara looked around the quarters. Jay had been a private person, letting only a few people into his personal rooms and thoughts. There were a few diagrams for projects around, but all that was left were some old clothes, pictures, books, and souvenirs. Kara smiled fondly. Jay had always wanted to travel around different planets.

Picking up a few photos, Kara looked at each of them, remembering where each one was taking and replaying the events in her mind. When she came to a certain photo, her eyes started watering, and she hastily grabbed a wipe from a box on a near table.

The photo had been taken last year on Naboo, when she, Tax, and Jay had traveled with a group of friends on a field trip. Tax had taken a picture of her and Jay on a balcony over a lake. Jay had whispered a funny comment about Master Yoda into her ear, causing her to start laughing uncontrollably. Jay was laughing himself, while holding her steady with two hands around her waist. Tax had taken the picture and threatened to use it as blackmail on several occasions. Kara and Jay had each made a copy of the picture, but Kara's had been burned up by Tax accidentally knocking it off the desk onto his lit training lightsaber. Kara had slapped him a few times, and then Jay had attacked each of them with pillows, starting a pillow fight.

Kara grabbed the picture and put it in her bag, her bad mood coming back. _I really miss Jay_… she thought dejectedly.

"Kara?"

Tax had walked into the room and was staring at her. Kara jumped in surprise and turned around.

"Oh, hi Tax. I was just looking around…" she trailed off.

Tax nodded. "I know. I miss him too, Kara. Do you think we'll see him again?" The look on his face was hopeful.

Kara sighed. "I don't know. We only take a few visits to Terwan, and Jay will be moved in two weeks, so… probably not."

"You're forgetting something." Tax reminded her.

"Oh?"

He nodded. "He's Jay! He always finds a way. And I bet that when he finds a way to come back, he'll raise hell with the Council until they agree with everything he says." Tax looked very confidant.

Kara laughed weakly. "I hope so, Moneyman, but Jay told me before he left that he was going to leave the Order. So, if he does escape, he probably won't come back."

Tax patted her on the shoulder. "He will, Kara. He will. And I'll be there to help, while cheering him on."

"Thanks, Tax."

And the two friends continued talking about Jay all night long.

Jay stared at the Rakata Ruins on Dantooine. After clearing it with Ado, he had flown to a few planets on the way to Dantooine, picking up clues as to the locations of more of Revan's artifacts. He hadn't found anything yet, but he was close.

Once on Dantooine, a few inquiries had been made about ancient ruins or caves, and he had quickly learned about the Rakata Ruins, as they were called. They had been sealed off, except for a hole in the very high ceiling.

_Child's play_, Jay thought, before flying up to the hole and dropping in. Once on the ground inside, he took a good look around.

The ruins were very dark, with only a few lights around. Jay drew his vibrosword and blaster and walking forward.

The architecture was in a style unfamiliar to Jay, though he guessed it to be that of the Rakata. He had read about them in Revan's journal. Apparently, they had wiped themselves out after he left. The remaining Elders had died from a plague.

Suddenly, Jay became aware of two droids running toward him. They were armed with blasters and had the insignia of the Star Forge on their armor.

Jay crouched and fired off two shots, which missed their target. Cursing, he threw aside the blaster and sent a blast of Force Lightning at the droids. Amazingly, they took little damage.

Jay snarled and swung his sword at the droid's legs. One leg broke off, and the next stroke took out the droid's head.

Jumping, Jay spun around in midair and Force Pulled the Droid up. The droid flew into the ceiling and fell to the ground, missing an arm. With its other arm, it fired six shots, which Jay dodged.

Jay suddenly had a brilliant idea. He concentrated, and released the Force at the droid.

In front of the droid, a dark hole on the air appeared. The blaster shots fired were sucked into the hole. The hole got bigger with every second, and within ten seconds had pulled the droid into it.

There was a breaking sound, and the droid was spat out as tiny broken pieces.

Jay relaxed and drew a deep breath. Creating a mini black hole took a lot out of him. He decided not to do that again for a while. He retrieved his blaster and moved onward.

After three traps, six more droids, and a puzzle that Jay solved by blowing down the door, Jay reached the main chamber. Jay did not like puzzles.

In the chamber was an object that Jay recognized as a Star Map from Revan's notebook. Behind it was a pedestal with a handprint on the top.

Jay stepped forward and looked at the handprint. Curiously, he reached out his hand a placed it in the print.

At once, three things happened. A light ran over his hand. A scanner popped up and ran a light over his face. Third, he felt a surge in the Force.

Then, the print disappeared and Jay's hand was forced away. The pedestal top turned over, revealing a light blue crystal, glowing with an inner light.

Jay sucked his breath in. The Mantle of the Force crystal, right in front of his eyes… It was almost too much to believe!

He stretched his hand out hesitantly, almost touching the crystal. Then, he grabbed the crystal and held it up.

Immediately, the front side of the pedestal shot out, revealing a drawer. Jay looked down and recognized the contents as pieces of a lightsaber.

Smiling, he got to work, whistling a tune from his iPod, "Hell's Bells" by AC/DC.

_The Council won't know what hit them._

**1 week later**

Tax was walking down through the streets of Coruscant when he was pulled into a doorway by an unseen person.

"What the- get off me, you kriffin' thug! I'm a Jedi! You can't-"

"Shut up and quiet down, Tax!" Came the whisper from the shadows.

"What the -_Jay_?"

"Keep quiet! I don't want anybody to know I'm back on Coruscant just yet."

Tax took a look at Jay for the first time in two weeks. Jay was a little taller, and his hair was longer than most Padawans'. He was wearing a long black trenchcoat with a gray suit underneath, though without the tie. He had a blaster, a vibrosword, and an unfamiliar lightsaber design at various places around his body. The biggest change was his eyes. They had originally been green, but now they seemed to change with the light, being blue one minute and gray the next. Overall, Jay looked older and more worn.

Jay smiled. "Okay. It's good to see you again too, Tax, but business first. I need your help with a little something."

"Anything for you, man."

Jay held up some diagrams and a sheet of computer code on it. "Can you do it?"

Tax took the paper and scanned it quickly. "Um, Jay? Are you talking about hacking into the Holonet?"

Jay grinned evilly. "That's exactly what I am going to do. Will you help?"

Tax was silent. Then, he looked up and smirked. "They won't know what hit them, will they?"

"Of course not."

Tax nodded. "I know a few people. It'll be done within the week. One more thing, Jay…" Jay had turned around to walk away.

"Yes?"

"Talk to Kara. You two have a few things to work out together." Tax wiggled his eyebrows and said "Quite a _few_ things, indeed."

Jay blushed. "I don't know what you mean, Tax."

"Oh, yes, you do. Take my word for it. Kara doesn't know it yet, but she will." Tax finished, then added. "Once I have a talk with her."

Then he grinned and ran out the door.

Jay smiled, then got back to work. The song was perfect, and Tax had promised…

The next day.

Kit Fisto and Kara were reporting to the Council on their latest mission when Kara felt a ripple in the Force. The Masters sensed it as well, as more than one turned towards the window, where the source was coming from.

Master Windu looked at Master Yoda sharply. "There's a Force presence out there… and it's coming closer."

Yoda nodded and was about to reply when the Holonet connection in the Council room lit up. They could hear a steady beat of sounds, and then…

Music suddenly blared through the speakers in the room. It was loud, hard, and heavy. Kara almost fell over from the first blast. For sixteen measures, the riff was the same, and then a voice came in and screamed out:

_Back in black,_

_I hit the sack,_

_It's been too long, I'm glad to be back._

_'Cause I'm Let loose_

_From the noose_

_That's kept me hanging around_

_I've been looking at the sky and its getting me high_

_Forget the hearse 'cause I never die_

_I got nine lives_

_Cat's eyes_

_Cruisin' every woman, never wonderin' why._

_'Cause I'm back  
Yes, I'm back  
Well, I'm back  
Yes, I'm back  
Well, I'm back, back  
Well I'm back in black  
Yes, I'm back in black_

The Masters, uneducated in Earth hard rock music, were understandably shocked in hearing the music. Most of the music in the Republic was light and classical, although there were rumors about the middle class's music. This, however, was totally different.

Kara smiled and whispered to Adi Gallia "Well, it's sort of catchy…" Adi winked at her. Kara had taken personal fighting lessons from her a few years back.

Ki Adi Mundi was standing up. "Can't we turn this off? It's horrible!"

Mace Windu spoke up. "I don't know. It's very different, but it's interesting. I wonder who wrote it?"

At that moment, a window burst into flame, searing the room's occupants with heat. Master Yoda stood up and formed a barrier with the Force, but the fire disappeared. Yoda sat back down, looking perplexed.

Then, Kara spotted a black blur flying towards the window. She opened her mouth to talk, but froze when the blur flew through the window and settled to the ground.

The Masters gasped. Kara almost fell over backwards. Jay was standing right there in the center of the room.

Jay was wearing a black trenchcoat, immediately explaining to Kara why the song, which she thought was titled 'Back in Black', had played, and who was behind it. Jay had a lightsaber, which was surprising to most everyone in the room.

Mace Windu recovered first. "Jaylar? What are you doing here?"

Jay glared at the Masters. "I bet you all thought that was really funny, didn't you? Tricking me onto that ship and trying to deport me to some God-forsaken spit of land? (A.N. I love Pirates of the Caribbean!) Well, it almost worked, you bastards."

"How did you get back?" Ki Adi Mundi demanded. "We made sure that there was no transportation off…" He wilted under Jay's glare.

"You forgot one thing, _Master_ Mundi. I can do things with the Force you can't even dream of. Did you already forget how I got into this room?"

The Masters were silent. Then, Mace asked faintly "You can fly?"

"Give the man an exploding cigar. Yes, I can fly." Here Jay turned to Kara and said to her "It's the best feeling in the world."

Kara swallowed, then rushed over and hugged Jay, who hugged her back after a moment. Kara felt tears on her cheeks.

"Don't ever leave like that again." She told him firmly.

"I won't." Jay promised to her. "By the way, we should have a talk. Just you, me, and maybe Tax. That sound good?"

She nodded. "No Tax." She added quietly.

Jay held her for a few moments, and then turned to the Masters. "Usually, Padawans are rejected on their birthday, not two weeks ahead of time. So, I still am in the Order, technically."

Mace Windu nodded silently.

"So, I only feel that it is fair that I get my chance to say something. So, I, Jaylar Aranos, hereby announce my withdrawal from the Jedi Order. Go to hell, Masters." And with that, Jaylar ignited his lightsaber and severed his Padawan braid.

The room exploded with noise. Kara rushed forward again. "Jay, what are you doing? Why are you leaving?"

"Because, Kara, only you, Tax, Ado, and Anakin still want me here. I think I can do better outside unnecessary limitations and restrictions."

Kara nodded, though obviously unhappy.

Jay turned to her and grabbed her hands. "I won't be very far away, though. You remember the balcony picture?"

Kara nodded, stunned. "Yeah, I do. That's pretty far away, though."

"Only one of two places. Do you also remember old Cander?"

Kara smiled brightly. "You really are a genius, Jaybird. Is he out of town for the weekend?"

"He's off hunting wild beasts and his fellow boxing rivals. We talked, and made a deal after a while."

"Good. Be there."

Mace Windu cleared his throat, from where he had been conferring with Master Yoda. "Jaylar, in light of your circumstances, we are offering you your rooms here at the Temple, if you want them."

Ki Adi Mundi spluttered. "What? This boy is a menace! He shouldn't be allowed near Coruscant!"

Jay ignored him and focused on Windu. "Master Windu, you were the last person I would have expected to agree with your little scheme. What made you agree with it?"

Mace looked back at him quite steadily. "Our little argument in the hallway and a majority vote for the action. Not all of us were for it, Jaylar.

Jaylar snorted. "Show me fifteen Jedi Masters who didn't agree with the general consensus that I fell to the dark side and I'll show you Darth Revan's personal archives."

That little statement floored the Jedi Council.

Yoda's ears twitched. "Revan's archives, you have seen?"

Jaylar nodded. "It was quite liberating to see Revan's thoughts and notes on the Force. The man was a genius."

Kara looked sharply at him. "Jaybird…"

"Yeah?"

"Oh, no, you didn't!"

"I'm afraid I did. I used Revan's notes and journals to learn more about the Force. I'm not the first Jedi with greater knowledge about the Force than any of the others."

Kara shook her head. "Wow, Jaybird. Only you. Only you."

Jay returned to look at the Council. "Well, we have gotten very off-topic, haven't we? Anyways, Master Windu, I accept your offer, but I won't be there very much. Places to go, people to see, I'm sure you understand."

Then, with one last hug to Kara, Jay turned to the nonexistent window and took off, leaving a floored Council and an elated friend behind.

**Like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think!**

**I hope this chapter cleared a few things up for you readers. It took a while to write, mostly the trap scenes, which I could have done better on. Anyways, people, I'll say it again: Putting this on your favorites is good; Reviewing is Much Better! I must say, putting the AC/DC song in there was really fun. I think I'll put more music in this song. Somehow, getting the Jedi hooked on Earth rock seems really original. Yeah, it's official. Sometime in this story, the Jedi will grow to love Earth rock and pop music, though Master Yoda will stay a classical music fan. Well, that's it for now. Oh, yeah. For you die hard canon fans, Anakin and Obi Wan will come into the story into the next few chapters. Just be patient, please.**

**REVIEW!!!! (That little button is calling you…)**


	6. It's a Long Way to the Top

**Okay. Get the stones and torches ready; I know you all want to. I've just been hung over the last few months on no less than three major projects at school. For the truly fanatical, I'll give you my teacher's addresses and step out of the way.**

**Okay, seriously. I've been so overloaded with work that I have had no opportunity to write lately. That said; don't be too disappointed, because I have been working hard on this chapter. I promise that they will come quicker once summer comes. Now, some have been complaining that this isn't following the canon storyline at all, so this chapter is going to start off the main plotline for Episode 2.**

It's a Long Way to the Top 

Kara and Anakin were currently feeling as though as both their masters had gone through Republic Army Boot Camp. Kit Fisto had gone on a health craze recently and had taken up running for pleasure. When Kara had inquired as to if his brain was working correctly, Kit had made her join him on his four-mile morning lap. Obi-Wan had observed their session one day and decided that Anakin should join them as well. Anakin had protested, naturally, but a threat of no weekend trips outside the Temple was enough to make Anakin agree. It always was.

Kara had kept in contact with Jay after his leaving of the Order about four months ago, and she wheedled him into letting her borrow Revan's personal journal. Once she started practicing the techniques and Force powers involved, Kara won three tournaments with ease, even beating Adi Galea in a Force Duel. Anakin had got down on his knees after the duel and begged for her to teach him. Kara agreed. The next tournament was a total tie between the two.

Master Fisto, about a half mile ahead of the two Padawans, suddenly stopped and pulled out his comlink. After answering a few times and mostly listening to the contact, he replaced the comlink and turned to Kara and Anakin, who had caught up with him.

"Grab your mission gear. The Council has a new mission for us."

Kara grabbed a water bottle. "Right now?"

Anakin chimed in. "We're exhausted!"

Obi-Wan, who had just walked up, answered. "Oh, you'll like this mission, Anakin. It's a Senatorial protection assignment."

Anakin put his head into his hands and groaned. "Just shoot me now. Please."

"Even if the Senator you are protecting survived a bomb attack?"

"Gun. Now. Please."

"But Anakin, Senator Padme Amidala is counting on the four of us to protect her."

"I said, Gu- _Padme_?"

Obi-Wan smirked. "I thought that would get your attention."

Anakin was up like a shot. "When do we leave?"

"Get your things, Anakin."

Kara and Kit Fisto exchanged knowing smirks. Kara, in a stage whisper, announced "Ooh... Someone has a crush on a Senator..."

Obi-Wan gave a stern glare at the two of them, but when Anakin left, he grinned at them and said "You may be more right than you know..."

Three hours later, the two Masters and two Padawans were riding the lift up to the rooms where Padme and her escort were waiting for them. Kara noticed Anakin fidgeting and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Relax, loverboy. Calm down and maybe she won't throw you out the window for not acting like a Jedi and more like a lovestruck farmer. Oh, wait, that's what you were when she last saw you."

"You are not helping, Kara. What if Jay was waiting up there for you right now?"

Kara threw a sharp glance at him. "Bring that up again and I'll throw you out the window myself. We are Jedi, after all."

"Okay. Act like it, then. OW!" Kara had calmly used a street fighting move that left Anakin on the ground.

"You shouldn't roll around on the ground, loverboy. It won't impress Padme." By now, both Kit and Obi-Wan were smirking. Kit extended his hand to Obi-Wan, who gave him fifty Republic credits reluctantly. Kara noticed this.

"Excuse me. Were you _betting_ on us?"

Kit was about to reply when the lift doors opened. Swirling his cloak, he and Obi-Wan walked out, with Kara and Anakin close behind; Anakin smoothing out the wrinkles in his tunic and wincing.

Padme was waiting for them a little ways into the rooms. She was escorted by four men in Nabooian military uniforms, who seemed suspicious of the Jedi. Padme herself was wearing a rich blue dress that had a thin adornment of body armor built in. She was carrying two knives and two small blasters, which were strapped to a belt around her waist and a small holder on her ankle.

Padme dipped her head to the Jedi. "Master Kenobi, Master Fisto, thank you for coming to be my protection for the next few weeks. I'm glad the Council chose you."

Obi-Wan stepped forward. "Senator, we are glad to be here. If you need anything else, we can provide it."

Padme smiled. "You seem to have changed greatly from the last time I saw you, Obi-Wan. You're so much like Qui-Gon was now."

Obi-Wan bowed his head. "I can only hope, Senator."

Padme then turned to Kit. "Master Fisto, I remember you from the Naboo Kraken affair five years ago. You were the leader of the Jedi team who stopped the poachers from killing the two last Kraken."

Kit looked up. "Yes, you were the head of the operation. I seem to recall you insisting on storming the poacher's headquarters with us. You took out their leader, correct?"

"Yes, though I did not enjoy it." Then, Padme turned to Kara and Anakin. When she saw Kara, she frowned, deep in thought, but then slowly spoke:

"...Kara? Kara Jarel? Is that you?"

Kara looked surprised. "Yes, Senator?"

Padme rushed forward and hugged Kara, who looked shocked. "Senator?"

"Kara, you really don't remember me? You were five years old, and I was your babysitter for a while when your parents weren't home. Your sister and I graduated together, but you were gone by then."

Recognition shone on Kara's face. "That...that was you? I thought that Sira had gone into the military, not politics. But..." Then, she hugged Padme back fiercely, who responded.

"I'm so sorry about your mother, Kara. She missed you horribly." Padme whispered to her.

Kara nodded. "I wish I could have seen her before she died. I feel so bad, though..."

Padme let go and looked at her. "I can call Sira and ask her if she can come over here sometime soon. Would that be alright?"

"Yes. We have lots to discuss. By the way, I love your dress. It's beautiful, well-made, blue, functional, it stops lasers... its perfect!"

Padme grinned, then turned to Anakin. "Anakin! Well, this is turning into a reunion, isn't it? You've changed a lot, too!"

Obi-Wan broke in dryly. "Only in height, Senator. Underneath, he's still the same young boy who loves starships and technology."

Anakin flushed. "My Lady, if you need anything, I'm here. And don't listen to Master Obi-Wan; he's technologically and politically challenged." Here he shot a grin at Obi-Wan, who had opened his mouth in indignation. "Come on, Master, you know it's true."

Padme laughed softly. "Well, I think that should conclude introductions; I know all of you anyways. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some bills to revise before the Senate meeting tomorrow."

The four Jedi bowed. Obi-Wan said. "We will not intrude on you, Senator, though we may need to watch the security cameras in these rooms. We need to be vigilant, you understand."

"Of course." Then, Padme left the rooms with two guards. Kit sat down in a soft chair and closed his eyes. Obi-Wan pulled out the guard schedules for each person and distributed them out. Kara elbowed Anakin, who was watching Padme leave the room.

"Good job, loverboy. You didn't make a fool of yourself in front of her."

Anakin stayed silent, though his cheeks turned slightly red.

"...not yet, anyways."

"Kara?"

"Yes, loverboy?"

"Please stop calling me that."

"Of course, loverboy."

It was almost nightfall outside, and it was Kara's and Kit's turn to guard Padme, who was currently in her rooms. Kara and Kit were standing out side the door to her rooms; Kit meditating and Kara listening to a music player. However, both were completely alert. The door opened and Padme poked her head out.

"Kara?"

Kara looked up and turned off the music player. "Yes, Padme?"

"I've got Sira on the comlink. Do you want to come and talk to her?"

"Sure! Master, can I?"

Kit nodded his head.

"Thank you, Master. Alright, lemme talk to her."

Padme let Kara into the room. It was plainly decorated, with an Alderaanian carpet on the floor and modest paintings on the wall. The bed was that of a middle class citizen.

Padme walked over and grabbed the comlink. She walked over to Kara and spoke into it. "Sira, I've got someone who'd like to talk to you. That okay?"

A familiar voice came from the comlink. "Sure, Padme. Put them on, unless it's some bureaucrat you're trying to hook me up with. Then, I will run over there and hit you with this flight manual I'm reading. It's seven hundred pages long."

Kara grinned and took the offered comlink. "Would you still run over here to hug your baby sister, who you haven't seen in years?"

The comlink was silent. Then, the voice-Sira- said breathlessly "Kara?"

"Yep! Actually, how about this? You _will_ come over here right now, or _I_ will come over there and beat you over the head with your flight manual."

Padme took the comlink and added "How about I make that an official order from the Senate?"

"On my way right now." Then the comlink turned off.

Kara looked at Padme. "It's very convenient that Sira was stationed here on Coruscant, near her best friend. Almost as if someone arranged it..."

Padme looked innocent. "Is it a crime to want to have my best friend close by?"

"It is if you don't tell me about it!"

Fifteen minutes later, the bell rang. Kara and Padme jumped up and ran out the door to greet their guest.

However, outside the window, a hooded figure climbed onto the ledge and opened the window. The person uncorked a tube and put the open end under Padme's pillow. After a few seconds, the figure pulled the tube back and recorked it. Then, it closed the window and dropped out of sight. Mission one, accomplished.

Kara waved at Obi-Wan as she ran past, and opened the door before the guards could reach it. Standing in the doorway was her sister who she hadn't seen in over a decade.

"Sira!" Kara jumped into her sister's arms. Sira laughed and hugged her fiercely.

"Hey, baby sis! Oh, not so baby now, are we? Hi, Padme! Come on, get over here."

Sira was just under Anakin's height, which was considerable. She had long bronze hair that she had tied back into a ponytail. She was wearing a casual dress with a blaster belt around her waist.

Padme stepped forward and joined the group hug, which had Anakin looking jealous. The three girls took about a minute to finish their hugging session.

Kara turned to Kit and Obi-Wan. "Jedi all, may I present my lovely, amazing, completely awesome-and-I-will-kick-your-ass-if-you-don't-agree-with-me sister, Sira Jarel. Sira, this is Master Obi-Wan, my Master Fisto, and my friend Anakin, who is also a Jedi Padawan."

Sira stepped forward and smiled brightly. "It's nice to meet all of you. I wish I could say Kara's told me all about you, but that's not true, is it, sis?"

"No, it is not. Now, girl time. Padme, can the three of us usurp your room for a sleepover?"

"Of course! Come on." The three left the room chatting.

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan. "Girls are really strange, aren't they?"

"You have no idea, Padawan."

Kara felt a strange ripple in the Force when Padme opened the door to her room. The feeling intensified when Padme sat down on the bed. She was about to lie down on the pillows when Kara recognized the feeling.

"Padme, get off the bed!" She dashed forward and overturned the pillows at the same time that Obi-Wan, Kit, and Anakin dashed through the door.

Where the pillows had been covering lay several eel-snakes from Nal Hutta. Kara recognized them as the most poisonous variety from her biology courses at the Temple. She activated her lightsaber, but Anakin was already there and cut the eel-snakes into pieces.

For a second, nobody moved or spoke. Then, Kit dashed toward the window with Obi-Wan close on his heels. Kit flung open the window and jumped onto the ledge outside. He jumped off the ledge and landed on a probe droid that had appeared over the edge of the window.

The droid immediately started flying away, carrying Kit with it. Obi-Wan turned around, then ran back to Anakin and said in a sharp, crisp voice "I'm going to take a speeder, and you're driving. Kara, stay here and protect the Senator and your sister."

Kara nodded. Sira pulled out a miniature automatic blaster and cocked it. "Don't worry, Master Kenobi. We can protect each other. In fact, count on it."

Obi-Wan hesitated before gesturing to Anakin and running out the door. Sira closed the window and the blinds, while Kara shut and locked the door. Padme occupied herself by cleaning her knives and checking her blasters.

Sira broke the silence. "So, Kara, tell us about the Jedi life. Come on, I want names, dates, addresses, and Galactic security numbers, so I know who to hunt down if they hurt you."

Kara grinned. "Well, I have two amazing friends named Taxer and Jay, who are the center of my social and normal life..."

Kit Fisto was not having the time of his life at the moment. Nautilauns were meant to be underwater, not above the ground with little support. He decided from now on to leave droid riding to people like Obi-Wan.

The droid bucked, almost throwing Kit off. Kit noticed a control pad, so he opened it. Inside, he found wires and control crystals that seemed vital. So, naturally, Kit pulled out a few wires. A technician, Kit was not.

The droid dropped about fifty feet, before Kit reattached the wire. _Not smart, Kit_. He noticed a close-by roof near him, so he pulled out his lightsaber with the Force, activated it, and buried it through the droid when they were about ten feet over the roof.

As Kit had expected, the droid promptly fell to the rooftop. Jumping away before it hit the ground, Kit landed at the edge of the roof. He walked over to the droid and pulled out its hard drive in the control pad. The droid died. Kit walked away and called Obi-Wan on his comlink.

"Obi-Wan. I'm sending you my location now. Don't be late."

"No need." Obi-Wan replied through the comlink. "We're right above you."

Kit looked up and saw a grey and red speeder above him. Smiling briefly, he used the Force to jump the ten foot distance to the speeder. Adjusting his aim, he landed in the back seat.

"You were quick."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Anakin wanted to spend ten minutes looking for 'the perfect color', so I grabbed him, jumped in the nearest speeder, and threatened to cut all weekend privileges off if he didn't start flying."

Anakin grumbled from the pilot's seat. "There was this really snazzy yellow colored one that would have been perfect to see, but you were in too much of a rush to listen to me. Hang on!" He went to full throttle, sending the speeder chasing after another, smaller speeder that was carrying a single passenger.

"How do you know that's the assassin?" Kit shouted above the sound of the rushing air.

"Because I recognized their trace in the Force. That speeder was also below the droid back at the apartment." Obi-Wan yelled back.

"Watch out!" The Jedi ducked their heads to avoid colliding with a walkway.

"Anakin, if you don't fly responsibly, I will make sure you will never pilot again!"

Several miles away, Jay was relaxing in his borrowed apartment. Tonight, he was going to take a well-deserved break and visit Tax at the Temple. Mischief will abound tonight, Jay thought happily. Pranks all around!

Suddenly, Jay felt a tremor through the Force. Focusing on it, he got an image of Kara with two other girls firing at some unseen person or persons. As he thought about it, the feeling grew stronger. Something was very wrong.

Grabbing his lightsaber and assault blaster rifle, Jay turned towards the open window and flew off, homing in on the feeling.

"So, this Jay person. Are you dating him?"

Kara, Sira, and Padme had fortified their room and dragged the security video screens into it. Now, they could observe all parts of the apartment. After they had finished, Sira had started quizzing both Kara and Padme on their personal lives. Go figure.

Kara blushed. "No, we're not. Right now, we're just friends."

Padme prodded. "But are you interested in him?"

"Well... It's not allowed."

Sira smirked. "I've heard what I need. You don't care about that rule, because you _are_ interested in him. And that rule doesn't apply to him, anyways."

Padme followed up. "So, what are you going to do about it? I think you should tell him now, before he's taken by some other girl."

Sira nodded. "I've seen his pictures, and if you ever became not interested anymore, I might just want to meet him and..."

"Don't you dare!" Kara snapped at her.

Padme and Sira started laughing. "Ooh, someone's getting possessive." Sira teased.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kara saw a movement on the security camera video. Looking at it, she gasped. Coming through the broken door were four humanoids in attack armor and black cloaks. Each wore a facemask and carried a long knife and a blaster.

Motioning Padme and Sira over, Kara grabbed her lightsaber and set up position by the door. Padme crouched down behind the bed, while Sira stood off to the side, getting a clear shot at the door. From outside, they could hear voices.

"She's in there. Two at a time! Go!"

There was a thud against the door, but the barricade held. A man swore.

"They've blocked the door! Shoot it down!"

Blaster fire hit the door, which started burning. Kara sent a nod toward Sira, who grabbed a second automatic blaster from a cord around her neck and under her shirt. It seemed that Sira was a walking arsenal.

The door broke. Two well placed shot knocked down the hastily constructed barricade. Sira and Padme started firing into the hallway. Answering fire flew into the room.

Kara used the Force and snatched at the blasters. Two of them flew into the room and impacted with the far wall.

"Damn it, there's a Jedi in there! Charge them!" A man jumped into the room over the rubble and slashed at Kara with a vibroblade.

Kara blocked it with her lightsaber, then kicked the vibroblade out of the man's hand. She dispatched him with a strike to the neck.

The blaster fire from outside ceased. The next thing Kara knew, the air around her had turned to gas. Coughing, she tried to make it over to Sira.

"They're down. Get them!"

Two more assassins dashed into the room. Seeing the three girls on the ground, they pulled out their vibroblades and walked forward.

Kara watched in horror as the first man kicked the lightsaber out of her hand. He knelt down and raised the vibroblade. She shut her eyes.

She heard a blaster shot, then a thud, then the sound of a lightsaber being activated and swung. Another thud, then another. _Who was killed?_ She opened her eyes and looked around.

The man who was about to kill her was dead with a blaster shot through the forehead. The other two men were missing their heads.

Jay was standing above the last assassin, who was obviously the leader. The leader was impaled on Jay's lightsaber which was sticking out of the man's heart. Jay switched his saber off and turned around.

He was dressed in a casual tunic and leggings, which looked a lot like his old Temple uniform. In one hand he held his saber; in the other, an assault blaster rifle. He walked over to Kara and helped her up.

Kara found her voice. "Nice you could join us, Jaybird. I don't seem to remember saying you could gatecrash on our little party, though." Her voice was teasing.

Sira and Padme were evaluating Jay with interested eyes. Jay smirked.

"Well, Kara, I figured that I didn't have much else to do, and your party did need someone to spice up life a bit. So, I decided, why not arrive in style?"

Kara laughed. "Well, we handled ourselves pretty well, but your help is appreciated." Then she hugged Jay fiercely.

Now, Sira and Padme were whispering to each other and giggling, while shooting glances at the two younger teens.

Jay looked over. "And pray tell, who are these two lovely ladies?"

"Well, the one on the right is my amazing sister, Sira, and the other one on the left is Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo."

Jay bowed to each lady. "I'm honored. Kara's talked a lot about you, Sira, but I didn't know that she knew you, Senator."

Padme smiled knowingly. "It seems Kara shares a lot with you, Jaylar."

Kara blushed, while Jay grinned. "Just call me Jay, Senator. And yes, Kara shares quite a lot of things with me. It's rather entertaining."

"Okay, enough, Jaybird. Padme, don't listen to him. Sira, stop laughing at me!"

Jay stood up. "Well, Nice to meet you two; Kara, don't go to the Temple tonight; Tax and I have plans."

"What type of...? Oh, right. It's prank night, right? And tomorrow's sabaac night?"

"You got it!"

Kara shook her head. "Boys." Sira and Padme nodded.

Jay grinned, and then opened the window. He took off and was out of sight in three seconds.

Sira rushed to the window. "How did he do that?" She demanded.

Kara smiled. "Sira, dear sister, let me tell you a little story about a boy who was sneaking around places he shouldn't have been and found a goldmine of ancient Jedi knowledge..."

Obi-Wan, Kit, and Anakin returned to the Temple the next morning to deliver the assassin they had captured last night. After chasing the speeder through several tunnels and airways, Obi-Wan had jumped onto the speeder and cut off the assassin's hands. He took control of the speeder and piloted it to a landing zone, where he took the Changeling into custody.

The Changeling had revealed to be working for a bounty hunter named Jango Fett, who was taking the bounty from an unknown source, but resided on a planet named Kamino. Obi-Wan had knocked out the Changeling, whose name was Zam Wessell, and transported her to Anakin's speeder. They had then piloted back to Padme's apartment and waited for orders from the Council.

As the three Jedi walked in, Anakin noticed disgruntled looks on most of the Jedi's faces. When they entered the lift, they were stunned to find graffiti on the walls and ceiling. Anakin started to get a little suspicious when he saw a mention of a bird; he remembered Jay's blue jay mark all too well.

The lift opened and the three walked into the Council chambers. Anakin fell over. Kit and Obi-Wan almost fell over, but caught themselves.

The Council chamber was completely covered in pink, green, yellow, and purple paint. The Masters were also covered in paint, and not a single one looked happy.

Obi-Wan recovered first. "What happened here?"

Yoda spoke, and his voice was angrier that anyone had ever heard him before. "What do you think happened, Knight Kenobi? The only person brave enough to do this, Jaylar Aranos is!"

Anakin whistled. "Damn, Jaylar... Ambitious."

**Alright, question of the chapter: Should I have Kit or Obi-Wan go to Kamino and find Jango Fett? Who deserves the privilege of being shot at? Since Anakin's not with Padme, the storyline is going to be a little different and have more room to tinker with the plot. I might just send Anakin to the Outer Rim for a few chapters... Suggestions welcome!**


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